Monday, 31 August 2015

For me departing from an air port has always filled me in trepidation and anxiety. For years I was flown around the globe by the magnificent RAF in a Hercules or other even older craft. arriving at an airport or just a camp and then to be loaded onto the aircraft not where it was headed, I am sure that the pilot knew and some of our upper echelon knew but you on the ground rarely did. The other reason I dislike airports and especially Ringway Lies in the past, When I was a little lad living in the centre of Manchester my elder brother peter would take us on day trips on our bikes Manchester airport or Ringway as it was then known was a particular favourite until one day having made our sauce butties filled our water bottles off we would trek . on one of these trips nearing the airport around Style I needed what most young boys needed a wee our Peter guided me towards the edge of the field, once started we noticed a wire and naturally as boys do Pete shouts first to hit the fence . now I was never any good at science in school so the theory of not mixing water of any kind with electric,, and this piece of wire was an electric fence I have never jumped that far since. as the electric shot ran through my body I swore that one day I would get my own back on our Pete. but never did. So that's another reason for not liking airports and Manchester in particular .
Now to the great annoyance of Noreen I always turn up early for appointments so in true style we arrived at Manchester international early, having parked the car in a secure car-park then caught the shuttle bus to terminal one as the bus was driving away Noreen realised that she had left her hand bag on the bus containing a substantial amount of Ause$ so with a few quick calls I got the bus company and in a few heart stopping moments the bus arrived with driver clinging to the handbag disaster averted. I had decided that waiting in long queues was not my greatest asset and I could become somewhat grumpy so I thought book in on line that's the forward which I did and arrived at the book in desk just to hand over the luggage I knew we were under weight so it should have been very simple but what I did not take into account was the fact that our bags were soft and not the rigid type that baggage handlers can throw around with great abandon it would seem that if they are soft and plyable such as a kit bag type it makes the throwing more difficult. This meant that the check in desk were not authorised to check in such difficult baggage and we would have to join another queue for the extreme luggage???? ours was the right size the right weight it was just too soft. As time was marching on I just bit the bullet and meekly joined another queue along with all the other transgressors of luggage hooligans. having deposited our baggage it was onwards to security, Now I am an advocate of security and believe we dont take it seriously enough I know I am going to be search I know that as soon as I go through the metal detector all the alarms are going to go off and accept it willingly I have quite a lot of metal holding this feeble frame together But honestly why do I need to take my belt and shoes off for to stand there stretch out being frisked and trying to keep ones trousers from falling down is no mean fete and quite embarrassing I know what would embarrass me would kill a Christian but never the less its still awkward . having made sure that I was not part of some great terrorist plot or part of some drug cartel I was allowed to get dressed and collect my bag that had gone through the scanner only to find that it had been flagged up as requiring special interest, Still trying to zip up and fasten my trousers I was led to a table and asked those immortal words "did you pack this yourself sir" my answer of no my Valet did it was not relieved in good heart, and I knew worse was to come. the search of my baggage almost complete he came across a denture box " is anything in here sir" no I am wearing them was my curt reply, " please open the box" as I did a great sigh of exclamation came from the security guard as if to say "got you" and what just is this sir? thats the blood paste that keeps my bloody teeth in (I was nearing the end of my most affable person) It was the explained to me that such items had to be laced in a plastic bag as with all other cosmetics, medicines and explosive devices remaining calm I asked does that include the 6 tablets a day for 80 days 480 tablets in total which were in the box on top of the offending tube of tooth glue no sir they are prescription drugs and don't count' I was going to ask how the hell he knew that but thought better of it. and stood there, accepted my reprimand (after all I have been reprimanded by experts these guys had nothing on a bad tempered drunken Sergeant Major Right we are now through and into departures everything from here was plane sailing or should I say flying, I am still astounded at the amount of luggage one can take onto an aircraft as hand luggage and why oh why do they go to such lengths to tell you the size and weight of cabin luggage then ignore what people actually take on board. It bothers me not a jot what they take on board only annoys me when I go to place my correct size bag in the overhead locker only to find that it is full of oversized bags. The air hostess asked if I would put it in a vacant space two rows away I refused and said that the person who had put THREE bags in there should remove one of theirs. As I explained that the locker above my seat was reserved for my bag three seats three bags easy not rocket science the problem was resolved and I had my correct allocated space. however the service for the rest of the flight was at best described as curt. that's what happens when you stand up for justice
The rest of the journey across the globe was very much un

ful For me departing from an air port has always filled me in trepidation and anxiety. For years I was flown around the globe by the magnificent RAF in a Hercules or other even older craft. arriving at an airport or just a camp and then to be loaded onto the aircraft not where it was headed, I am sure that the pilot knew and some of our upper echelon knew but you on the ground rarely did. The other reason I dislike airports and especially Ringway Lies in the past, When I was a little lad living in the centre of Manchester my elder brother peter would take us on day trips on our bikes Manchester airport or Ringway as it was then known was a particular favourite until one day having made our sauce butties filled our water bottles off we would trek . on one of these trips nearing the airport around Style I needed what most young boys needed a wee our Peter guided me towards the edge of the field, once started we noticed a wire and naturally as boys do Pete shouts first to hit the fence . now I was never any good at science in school so the theory of not mixing water of any kind with electric,, and this piece of wire was an electric fence I have never jumped that far since. as the electric shot ran through my body I swore that one day I would get my own back on our Pete. but never did. So that's another reason for no liking airports and Manchester in particular .
Now to the great annoyance of Noreen I always turn up early for appointments so in true style we arrived at Manchester international early, having parked the car in a secure car-park then caught the shuttle bus to terminal one as the bus was driving away Noreen realised that she had left her hand bag on the bus containing a substantial amount of Ause$ so with a few quick calls I got the bus company and in a few heart stopping moments the bus arrived with driver clinging to the handbag disaster averted. I had decided that waiting in long queues was not my greatest asset and I could become somewhat grumpy so I thought book in on line that's the forward which I did and arrived at the book in desk just to hand over the luggage I knew we were under weight so it should have been very simple but what I did not take into account was the fact that our bags were soft and not the rigid type that baggage handlers can throw around with great abandon it would seem that if they are soft and plyable such as a kit bag type it makes the throwing more difficult. This meant that the check in desk were not authorised to check in such difficult baggage and we would have to join another queue for the extreme luggage???? ours was the right size the right weight it was just too soft. As time was marching on I just bit the bullet and meekly joined another queue along with all the other transgressors of luggage hooligans. having deposited our baggage it was onwards to security, Now I am an advocate of security and believe we dont take it seriously enough I know I am going to be search I know that as soon as I go through the metal detector all the alarms are going to go off and accept it willingly I have quite a lot of metal holding this feeble frame together But honestly why do I need to take my belt and shoes off for to stand there stretch out being frisked and trying to keep ones trousers from falling down is no mean fete and quite embarrassing I know what would embarrass me would kill a Christian but never the less its still awkward . having made sure that I was not part of some great terrorist plot or part of some drug cartel I was allowed to get dressed and collect my bag that had gone through the scanner only to find that it had been flagged up as requiring special interest, Still trying to zip up and fasten my trousers I was led to a table and asked those immortal words "did you pack this yourself sir" my answer of no my Valet did it was not relieved in good heart, and I knew worse was to come. the search of my baggage almost complete he came across a denture box " is anything in here sir" no I am wearing them was my curt reply, " please open the box" as I did a great sigh of exclamation came from the security guard as if to say "got you" and what just is this sir? thats the blood paste that keeps my bloody teeth in (I was nearing the end of my most affable person) It was the explained to me that such items had to be laced in a plastic bag as with all other cosmetics, medicines and explosive devices remaining calm I asked does that include the 6 tablets a day for 80 days 480 tablets in total which were in the box on top of the offending tube of tooth glue no sir they are prescription drugs and don't count' I was going to ask how the hell he knew that but thought better of it. and stood there, accepted my reprimand (after all I have been reprimanded by experts these guys had nothing on a bad tempered drunken Sergeant Major Right we are now through and into departures everything from here was plane sailing or should I say flying, I am still astounded at the amount of luggage one can take onto an aircraft as hand luggage and why oh why do they go to such lengths to tell you the size and weight of cabin luggage then ignore what people actually take on board. It bothers me not a jot what they take on board only annoys me when I go to place my correct size bag in the overhead locker only to find that it is full of oversized bags. The air hostess asked if I would put it in a vacant space two rows away I refused and said that the person who had put THREE bags in there should remove one of theirs. As I explained that the locker above my seat was reserved for my bag three seats three bags easy not rocket science the problem was resolved and I had my correct allocated space. however the service for the rest of the flight was at best described as curt. that's what happens when you stand up for justice
The rest of the journey across the globe was very much uneventful the first 9 hours to Dubai were at best dull the stop in Dubai was like any other international airport the word I use is clinical having spent three hours in Dubai eating drinking and walking we boarded the aircraft just as tired as when we got off the following 13 hrs were spent watching films, eating,drinking, and everything else but sleeping, By the time we reached Brisbane I had completed 27 hrs without sleep no fault of anyone but me I just cannot sleep on aircraft.
Now you may consider that the flight to Australia was uncomfortable or not enjoyable. it wasn't the flight was great and the staff were kind and helpful our fellow travellers were also very affable. its just a long way and couped up for long periods is always a little tense.
But here we are in Australia enjoying the sun and friendship that Australia is famous for Mary and Rogers house is magnificent and we are having a ball please keep an eye on the blog as I am sure we will encounter lots more jolly tales
God Bless to All
Buggerlugs downunder the first 9 hours to Dubai were at best dull the stop in Dubai was like any other international airport the word I use is clinical having spent three hours in Dubai eating drinking and walking we boarded the aircraft just as tired as when we got off the following 13 hrs were spent watching films, eating,drinking, and everything else but sleeping, By the time we reached Brisbane I had completed 27 hrs without sleep no fault of anyone but me I just cannot sleep on aircraft.
Now you may consider that the flight to Australia was uncomfortable or not enjoyable. it wasn't the flight was great and the staff were kind and helpful our fellow travellers were also very affable. its just a long way and couped up for long periods is always a little tense.
But here we are in Australia enjoying the sun and friendship that Australia is famous for Mary and Rogers house is magnificent and we are having a ball please keep an eye on the blog as I am sure we will encounter lots more jolly tales
God Bless to All
Buggerlugs downunder

For me departing from an air port has always filled me in trepidation and anxiety. For years I was flown around the globe by the magnificent RAF in a Hercules or other even older craft. arriving at an airport or just a camp and then to be loaded onto the aircraft not where it was headed, I am sure that the pilot knew and some of our upper echelon knew but you on the ground rarely did. The other reason I dislike airports and especially Ringway Lies in the past, When I was a little lad living in the centre of Manchester my elder brother peter would take us on day trips on our bikes Manchester airport or Ringway as it was then known was a particular favourite until one day having made our sauce butties filled our water bottles off we would trek . on one of these trips nearing the airport around Style I needed what most young boys needed a wee our Peter guided me towards the edge of the field, once started we noticed a wire and naturally as boys do Pete shouts first to hit the fence . now I was never any good at science in school so the theory of not mixing water of any kind with electric,, and this piece of wire was an electric fence I have never jumped that far since. as the electric shot ran through my body I swore that one day I would get my own back on our Pete. but never did. So that's another reason for no liking airports and Manchester in particular .
Now to the great annoyance of Noreen I always turn up early for appointments so in true style we arrived at Manchester international early, having parked the car in a secure car-park then caught the shuttle bus to terminal one as the bus was driving away Noreen realised that she had left her hand bag on the bus containing a substantial amount of Ause$ so with a few quick calls I got the bus company and in a few heart stopping moments the bus arrived with driver clinging to the handbag disaster averted. I had decided that waiting in long queues was not my greatest asset and I could become somewhat grumpy so I thought book in on line that's the forward which I did and arrived at the book in desk just to hand over the luggage I knew we were under weight so it should have been very simple but what I did not take into account was the fact that our bags were soft and not the rigid type that baggage handlers can throw around with great abandon it would seem that if they are soft and plyable such as a kit bag type it makes the throwing more difficult. This meant that the check in desk were not authorised to check in such difficult baggage and we would have to join another queue for the extreme luggage???? ours was the right size the right weight it was just too soft. As time was marching on I just bit the bullet and meekly joined another queue along with all the other transgressors of luggage hooligans. having deposited our baggage it was onwards to security, Now I am an advocate of security and believe we dont take it seriously enough I know I am going to be search I know that as soon as I go through the metal detector all the alarms are going to go off and accept it willingly I have quite a lot of metal holding this feeble frame together But honestly why do I need to take my belt and shoes off for to stand there stretch out being frisked and trying to keep ones trousers from falling down is no mean fete and quite embarrassing I know what would embarrass me would kill a Christian but never the less its still awkward . having made sure that I was not part of some great terrorist plot or part of some drug cartel I was allowed to get dressed and collect my bag that had gone through the scanner only to find that it had been flagged up as requiring special interest, Still trying to zip up and fasten my trousers I was led to a table and asked those immortal words "did you pack this yourself sir" my answer of no my Valet did it was not relieved in good heart, and I knew worse was to come. the search of my baggage almost complete he came across a denture box " is anything in here sir" no I am wearing them was my curt reply, " please open the box" as I did a great sigh of exclamation came from the security guard as if to say "got you" and what just is this sir? thats the blood paste that keeps my bloody teeth in (I was nearing the end of my most affable person) It was the explained to me that such items had to be laced in a plastic bag as with all other cosmetics, medicines and explosive devices remaining calm I asked does that include the 6 tablets a day for 80 days 480 tablets in total which were in the box on top of the offending tube of tooth glue no sir they are prescription drugs and don't count' I was going to ask how the hell he knew that but thought better of it. and stood there, accepted my reprimand (after all I have been reprimanded by experts these guys had nothing on a bad tempered drunken Sergeant Major Right we are now through and into departures everything from here was plane sailing or should I say flying, I am still astounded at the amount of luggage one can take onto an aircraft as hand luggage and why oh why do they go to such lengths to tell you the size and weight of cabin luggage then ignore what people actually take on board. It bothers me not a jot what they take on board only annoys me when I go to place my correct size bag in the overhead locker only to find that it is full of oversized bags. The air hostess asked if I would put it in a vacant space two rows away I refused and said that the person who had put THREE bags in there should remove one of theirs. As I explained that the locker above my seat was reserved for my bag three seats three bags easy not rocket science the problem was resolved and I had my correct allocated space. however the service for the rest of the flight was at best described as curt. that's what happens when you stand up for justice
The rest of the journey across the globe was very much uneventful the first 9 hours to Dubai were at best dull the stop in Dubai was like any other international airport the word I use is clinical having spent three hours in Dubai eating drinking and walking we boarded the aircraft just as tired as when we got off the following 13 hrs were spent watching films, eating,drinking, and everything else but sleeping, By the time we reached Brisbane I had completed 27 hrs without sleep no fault of anyone but me I just cannot sleep on aircraft.
Now you may consider that the flight to Australia was uncomfortable or not enjoyable. it wasn't the flight was great and the staff were kind and helpful our fellow travellers were also very affable. its just a long way and couped up for long periods is always a little tense.
But here we are in Australia enjoying the sun and friendship that Australia is famous for Mary and Rogers house is magnificent and we are having a ball please keep an eye on the blog as I am sure we will encounter lots more jolly tales
God Bless to All
Buggerlugs downunder

Tuesday, 18 August 2015

Just had two great days in the outback, well it was just
under Pendle Hill in the Gods county Lancashire.

fantastic place great people who run it. electric for a few hours in the morning a few hours in the evening everything else is torches or lanterns no TV all radios are band unless with ear phones it was so quiet it was eerie but a fantastic place to get back to reality

Sharing this epic trip was our Keith, Matthew and Thomas,
brother, son, and grandson. Needless to say we had a great time

We caught a bag full of fish ranging over 9 species of
fish, including in that were a number of the larger kind?? a great few days out with a great gang, sharing quality time with people you love is so important and the older I get the more important it becomes.

Thomas won the connect four championship by beating us oldies 3 out of three I recon he was a bit of a hustler and Mat won the
fishing however he did have Thomas on his side but .

not long now our flight is only eight days away, so its time to get packing.

Saturday, 8 August 2015

Leaving Botany Bay on Thursday morning at 07.00 we headed towards Wigan, through the quiet
countryside Chorley the morning three hour run to the top of the Wigan flight
was very pleasant however it was faced with anticipation and some trepidation as the night before I had a call from our
Marina asking if we would be willing to bring a boat back that was broken down
in Wigan (crank shaft broken) We of
course agreed one of my philosophy that we are here to help each other and what
goes round comes around. On agreeing I speculated we could be in Wigan to collect them around 14.00 hrs

However I did not factor in the state of the Wigan flight, the lack of volunteers, and distinct lack
of traffic, so Noreen and I did the whole of the flight with no help, and no
traffic coming up which as we all know means we had to fill and empty every
lock which takes time. One really annoying part was at the top lock there was
two either volunteers or CRT employees we never discovered which, we greeted
them with a “good morning lads” only to be completely ignored no not just
ignored but blanked with that disdained look of “ IF I do not acknowledge your
existence I do not have to speak to you or assist you “ Now do not get me wrong her we were not
seeking assistance at putting our boat through the locks its our boat we are
responsible for her and we are more that capable of doing the job and the fact
that we did the 22 Locks in just under 4 hours is a testament to our
proficiency my complaint to the CRT is
that we were completely blanked. As the flight of locks has been under repair
and has a notice of restricted traffic I was interested in howe it would effect
our decent into Wigan even on the grounds of
safety but nothing was forthcoming by the very rude and ignorant CRT people.

Undaughnted we started the decent the weather was
awful the state of the locks even worse and I was only thankful that we were on
our own and could have a good old moan to ourselves Which We Did. After nearly
4 hours hard graft we eventually reached the metropolis of Wigan were we
eventually found NB Still Waters whith guy and his mum on board who had been
stranded in Wigan for two days, even though we were almost two hours late they
seemed very grateful we turned up. After 15 mins of introduction and
explanations of how I intended to get them back to Scarisbrick Marina we were
off. Luckily the Leeds and Liverpool canal is a wide canal with corresponding
bridge holes and locks so I decided that breasting up would be the best way to
go as towing requires experienced crew on the tiller of the boat being towed, we managed to get as far as Crook before I decided that for one day I had
had enough it was now 17.00 and we had been at it since 07.00

Mooring outside the pub, we showered changed and had a lovely
meal with a few drinks and had a very pleasant evening with our new friends. I decided that the following day would be a 08.00 start as from here the canal
could get busy, as we were breasted up it could become more difficult (and
it was) meeting the Pride of Parbold (a wide beamed passenger boat) under a
bridge with a fallen down tree on my side was a little tense but the passengers
were treated to some very good boatman-ship and technical moves neither boat
touched or moved a leaf on overhanging fallen trees and shrubbery, many other
incidents befell us on the journey too many to mention here. Except that the
entrance to the Marina
at Scarisbrick is quite narrow But we
managed to get both boats through without touching the side only to be informed
that it had never been tried before so I do believe we have set a precedence.

So that’s it folks journeys end 16.30 and in the Marina another 8+ hrs on
the tiller after yesterday we are both completely knackered and deserve a lie
in tomorrow.

The Boat Log reads :We have traveled

Broad Canals 328

Tidal Rivers
38

Commercial Rivers 37

Total Miles 403 miles

Locks 218

Swing Bridges 118

Tunnels 7

Total days out 108

I know that only works out at 3½ miles a day but we do like
to visit places and where possible within the law of continuous cruising we
like to make long stops, making use of marinas where moorings are not
available. and traveling between towns by Bus (pass) why not I worked for it!

On reflection it was another wonderful trip and Buggerlugs performed
like the true lady she is, then to top it all Wednesday when passing through a quite
stretch near Chorley we spotted a Heron fishing, not an unusual sight for the canal
but in all my travels I have never seen one actually catch a fish until then, luckily both Noreen and I were on the stern and witnessed the Heron take a
little Jack Pike what a wonderful experience that was to end our trip.

Keep an eye on the blog because if you are interested I will
be reporting from Australia
soon we fly out on the 27 Aug

Tuesday, 4 August 2015

Having left Leeds and continuing on our homeward trip
unfortuneately we have to replace our steps as Biggerlugs is too long to do the
circular route via the Rochdale canal into Manchester. However once you have become
familiar with a route and can remember were the shops are, where the good
mooring are, and what to avoid then you can start to relax. Now travelling west we have the Bingley
staircase locks to contend with again I assumed wrongly that going up would be
easier than going down though this time I did not get as wet but Buggerlugs did
the cascading water the soaked me last time, this time flooded the cratch and
the leeking walls poured water in through a port hole and Hatch door not a lot
but enough to be bloody annoying, one advantage was that on the ascent the
locks are easier to get out of.

Arriving in Skipton we managed to get a mooring right in the basin
100 yards from Busy Lizzies, Skipton is the ideal place to have visitors as
there is always plenty to do, as usual we had plenty of visitors its also a
good place to catch up with old friends and make new ones which we always do

As we have plenty of time on the return leg we have attempted
to visit a few more of the obscure places and fit in some good walking trips.
The Leeds and Liverpool canal is steeped in
Canal history with its hidden Wharfs, Reclaimed Mills, the odd Coal and Lime
shoots where these goods were loaded into the craft of the day to be carried
from East coast to West coast and beyond. After Skipton most of the large obstacles
on this canal are now behind us, to arrive in Skipton from Leeds we had 28
locks and 14 Swing Bridges and some are right buggers, what people tend to
forget is; that the technology used along the canal today is 200 years old it
also has a habit of breaking down. I must admit that some of the people that
come on the canal would be better served getting a caravan, for there is no
such thing as rushing on the cut if you need to be there quick get the bloody
bus. Last week one speeding boater was
in so much of a rush he/she rammed the gates of a lock on the Wigan
flight. Now the Wigan flight has restricted
access whilst repairs are carried out this now means that hundreds of visitors
and holiday boaters are being affected by these delays. At the moment we cannot
get back to Rufford as the Rufford branch is closed due to a breach which will
take six weeks to repair and as we fly to Aus in three weeks we will be leaving
buggerlugs in Scarisbrick until our return.

After leaving Skipton we start to feel that the cruise is
nearly over and we find ourselves on home territory as passing through Church /Accrington you pass St Mary's church which is 63 miles from Leeds and 64 miles to Liverpool the half way mark.

Maryanne had asked if we
could do an overnight Baby sit as she was off to a wedding we pulled into
Reedley Marina on the outskirts of Burnley, we have always been made very
welcome and almost feel at home there its easy for Mat to get to he took me to Rufford
to collect our car and off to Wales we went. We also intended to meet Phil and
Steph who would be on there way to Skipton this worked out great as on the Sunday
they were going through Johnsons Hillock so as we were returning from Church in
Salford we made a detour and put them through the 7 locks. Noreen in her infinite wisdom
she decided to offer our services to put them through the locks in Blackburn So
off to Mats for a brew and then 3 hours later into Blackburn to meet up with
the again that completed we setoff back to Reedley were we waited for them to
arrive on the Monday we managed to secure the birth next to us so we had a good
afternoon catch up and a lovely dinner together. This morning we awoke to a
force ten gale carrying intermittent rain leaving the Marina Phil and Steph
turn East and had the tail wind we headed West into the gales right in my face However
Buggerlugs slogged on regardless and then after 4 hours of hard graft we are
moored up in Rishton just outside Blackburn.
Noreen has done it again with her organisational skills. Tomorrow we pick up a
new crew in Blackburn in the form of Rachael and Tom who will be assisting us through
the Blackburn 5 and the Johnsons Hillock 7 and then being collected at Botany
Bay from there we carry on to Adlinton
as the following morning we meet up with John and Kath on Orion who will be
going down the Wigan fight with us there they turn east to go to Nantwich and
we continue heading West to be in Scarisbrick by Friday lunch.

That’s your lost folks

God Bless everyone

Buggerlugs

Bingley Five rise quite a sight from the bottom

I have not got a clue the base or what it is floating on are two large Canoes ?????

About Me

I had 23 years in the army retired came out in 1987 as a warrent Oficer, Foolishly I then Joined Sodexo and worked in the catering industry for 18 years until retiring in 2008. Noreen ran her own catering busness for 22 years and retired 6 months later. We sold the house and the business' designed our Narrow boat Had her fitted out out at Fettlers. and now live and have a very contented life style.
We enjoy all the good things in life.
Even if many people think we are mad, I reakon that in life sometimes you do have to be a little bit crazy and do crazy things otherwise you just die Old.
God Bless everyone who reads this stuff.